Love Holds No Bounds
by Chlerek-Forever
Summary: Sequel to "Bound by Love". Everything was going great in the small little town of Oswego, IL. Nobody was trying to kill them, or experiment on them. But then . . . . the St. Cloud's found them. Now they're in even more trouble than before. Follow them as they go on the run again.
1. Starting Over

**I'm back! It's been a long three months! I hope you guys are excited to read! I won't keep you any longer.**

**One last thing, since there is a lot of telepathy talking going on. I made a key to help you guys distinguish who is who.**

**Rafe  
**_Derek_  
**Parker  
_Gage  
_**_Jackie_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Darkest Powers Trilogy.**

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**Chloe's POV**

It was amazing how one little thing could change your whole life. An example would be you went out with your friends and you got drunk. You then proceed to have a one night stand with some guy you met at the bar. Then nine months later you have a baby. You try the number the guy gave you, only to find out the number has been "disconnected."

It's funny how little things like that can change your whole life. But you see, those people have it easy. They don't have to relocate. Or change their names. They don't have to say goodbye to everyone they've come to know. Yeah, I wish I had it that easy. But then that little thing set in. The thing that tears you away from the fantasy life you want to life; to the one you're currently living in. What's that thing called? Oh yeah, reality.

My life was going great at the moment. I had the guy of my dreams, I had a lot of great friends. I was starting to call this little town of Oswego, Illinois my home. Everything was perfect. That is until Kit burst through the door with a petrified look on his face and he yelled "They found us!"

Derek was on his feet in an instant. "Who?!"

Kit gulped. "The St. Clouds. We have to leave. Tonight. No exceptions."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hang on a second." Gabriel said and he grasped Tori's hand tightly. "Before anybody even thinks about leaving, does someone want to tell me who the St. Cloud's are?"

"The St. Cloud," Gage sighed heavily. "Are one of the four Cabal families. All of them are run by sorcerers, extremely powerful ones at that. The St. Cloud are known for being the cruelest."

"And the others?"

"Later." Jackie said, standing up. "Right now our main priority is getting everyone out of here."

"Start packing only the essentials." Kit said, disappearing upstairs.

Gabriel pulled out his cellphone. "I'll call my mom and dad and tell them to come and pick up Sophia."

I felt Derek tug at my hand. I looked up and he had a grim look in his eyes. "Let's go pack, Chloe."

I nodded my head, too stunned that this was actually happening. We raced up the stairs, Derek went into his room and I went into mine. I pulled my suitcase from the top of the closet and placed it on the bed. I went back into my closet and grabbed a few pairs of jeans, t-shirts, sweatpants, sweatshirts, bras and underwear, socks and two pairs of tennis shoes. I went into the bathroom and grabbed my toiletries and placed them on top of my clothes and zipped it shut. Tori came in a few minutes later with tears running down her face.

"Oh Tori." I said and hugged her. She threw her arms around me and cried into my shoulder.

"I hate this!" she cried bitterly. "It's not fair that we have to leave. That I have to leave Gabriel behind."

"Shh." I soothed her. "I know it sucks, but he would want you to be safe. Why don't you go spend as much time as you can with him. I'll pack your suitcase."

She nodded. "Thanks Chloe." Then she went back downstairs.

I grabbed Tori's suitcase from her closet and filled it with the same items mine held and zipped it shut. I grabbed mine and Tori's suitcases and went downstairs. Kit, Simon, Derek, Kenzie, and Aunt Lauren's all had their suitcases packed and ready to go. I placed ours right next o them.

Derek came and stood next to me and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned my head on his chest. "I can't believe we're doing this again. I was just starting to feel safe."

Derek rested his head on mine. "I know, Clover. It sucks."

I gave a small smile at his nickname for me and nodded my head in agreement. Simon came running up to Derek with everybody's cellphones in his hands.

"Derek," He said. "Dad said to get rid of the cellphones."

Derek waited. "And?"

"How do I do that?!"

Derek calmly picked up his own cellphone and squeezed it in his hand. When he opened it, his cellphone was a bunch of crushed up pieces. He handed Simon his demolished cellphone and said, "Does that answer your question?"

Simon shook his head. "I could have done that."

"Then why didn't you?"

Simon rolled his eyes and went upstairs.

Kit was coming and going from the kitchen and was packing our nonperishable foods and water bottles into boxes. He was also packing all of our emergency cash into a small backpack.

Then the doorbell rang.

Kit, Jackie, Gage, Parker, and Derek all visibly tensed. They all waited again for a few minutes and the doorbell rang again.

"Wait here." Derek said quietly and walked slowly to the front door. I heard Derek slowly open the door and then he called out making us all jump. "Gabriel! Your parents are here." Everyone visibly relaxed. Derek and Gabriel's parents came into the living room.

"Gabriel?" Gabriel's mom, Debra, asked. "What's going on?"

"I need you to take Sophia home and to stay there for the rest of the night. I'll be home in a little bit."

"What going on, Gabriel?" She looked at our suitcases. "Are you guys leaving?"

"Mom," He picked up Sophia and placed her in her arms. "Just take Sophia and go home. It's not safe for her here. I'll be home in a little bit."

"Gabriel," his father, Logan, warned. "What's going on?"

"Just go!"

"Kit? How fond are you of this furniture?" Jackie asked out of nowhere.

He raised an eyebrow at her question. "Not very. It came with the house."

She didn't answer, instead her, Parker, and Gage all phased and everything within their vicinity went flying. Just then people busted through the door with guns and started shooting. That's when all hell broke loose. Everybody was screaming and gun shots were ringing in the air. Derek pulled me tightly to his chest and crouched over me and started rushing me to the door. From what I could see Jackie and Gage were fending off as many as they could but there were too many of them. While Parker was protecting people so they could get out the door.

Logan was desperately trying to get Debra and Sophia out of harms way. Simon and Kenzie rushed out the door and to the van that Kit had bought in case we ever needed to up and leave. Gabriel was hovered over Tori and they were using the tipped over couch as a cover. Kit and Aunt Lauren had grabbed all the suitcases and were rushing to the van. Aunt Lauren was constantly looking back at me until Kit barked something at her.

I heard a whimper and looked at Jackie, she was on the floor and she was bleeding profusely from her right shoulder. Gage was standing over her protectively and was fighting off as much as he could but he was fighting a losing battle.

Derek was looking between me and his parents, trying to decide who needed his help more. Kit came back into the house and saved him the trouble because he covered his body over mine. Derek shot him a thankful look and kissed my forehead and whispered, "I love you." before phasing himself and bowling over the guy that was sneaking up behind Gage.

We started for the door but before we reached it, I cried out in pain. There was a searing pain coming from my abdomen and I realized I had been shot. That was when Kit picked me up and rushed me out the door, but not before I saw Logan drop to the floor, dead.

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**Derek's POV**

My heart ached as I heard her cry out in pain and knowing I wasn't there to protect her. Dad had already rushed her out the door before I could check to see where she had been injured. I looked towards the man that shot her. He slowly lowered his gun and gave a twisted smile on his face, as if he reveled in killing. He turned his gaze to me and his smile became even more twisted. He raised his gun towards me and I charged him. He fired off two shots. The first bullet whizzed past me, but I let out a whimper as the second bullet came into contact with the top of my shoulder, dangerously close to my neck. Though I kept on going and body slammed his into the wall.

My ears perked to the sound of a child crying. I looked over at Sophia. She sat in a pool of her father's blood, staining her dress. She was pushing against his shoulders, sobbing and was screaming, "Daddy! Daddy! Please, you have to get up! Please, Daddy. Please don't die! Daddy!"

She turned to her mother. "Mommy!" She sobbed. "Please do something! Mommy!"

Her mother didn't respond, instead she just sat there with a blank look on her face and she stared at the body of her lifeless husband. My heart tore into two. No child should have to see a parent die in front of them. I knew my priority was getting them out. The St. Cloud members were thinning and I knew Gage and Parker could take care of themselves while I got them out of here. I ran up to Sophia and touched her cheek. She looked up at me with tear-stained cheeks.

"Der-Bear?" She sniffed. I whined softly and lowered by body to the floor. She understood and climbed onto my back. I kept low to the ground and looked at her mother. I barked to get her attention, but she was dead to the world.

Sophia tried. "Mommy! We have to go!"

Gabriel and Tori had now managed to make it to the door. Gabriel looked back at us and he urged Tori out the door and came back for his mother and Sophia. He knelt down next to his mother. He cast a look to his father and squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds before turning back to his mother.

"Mom." He said, trying to get her attention. "Mom! Get up! Dad would want you to leave and be safe!"

His words held no affect on his mother. He tried shaking her shoulders to wake her of her trance, but to no avail. He even went as far as to slap her across the face but even that didn't wake her.

A gunman raised his gun in our direction and fired off two bullets. Gabriel tackled his mother to the ground but not before the bullet hit him square in the back. The second one was no more than a few inches above Sophia's head and she screamed and ducked down into my back.

Debra finally came back to the land of the living at the sound of Sophia screaming and Gabriel's groans of pain.

"Gabriel!" She gasped as she saw the satin red blotch on Gabriel's back. She looked up scared that quickly turned to relief when she saw that Sophia was safe. She avoided her gaze from Logan's body as she supported Gabriel's weight and walked him to the door.

I walked out behind them and Tori grabbed Sophia from my back and Sophia clung to Tori as she tried to calm her down. Lauren was fussing over Chloe's stomach. As if feeling my gaze Chloe turned her head. The worrisome look on her face morphed into more of a relief, than horror as she saw I was going back in.

I quickly turned on my heel and went back into the house. Gage was still standing over Jackie and her wound was slowly healing. I turned my attention to Parker who was fighting half of the remaining men left. I moved to help him.

He saw me coming. **No**** Derek!**

_But- wait- how are you-_

**I'll explain later. Now get going.**

_But I want to help!_

**No Derek! Gage and I will handle the rest.**

_But-_

**I'm not going to say it again, Derek! Leave!**

I whimpered as I felt the full force of the Alpha's order but I still managed to reply._ Can I at least see Jackie?_

Parker mentally sighed. **Make it quick.**

I walked over to Jackie and licked her wound._ How are you doing?_

She licked my cheek. _I'll be fine, kiddo. It'll take a lot more than this to take me down._

There was so much more that I wanted to say to her, but I was short on time. I rubbed my head into her neck. _Be safe._

She rubbed her head against mine._ I should be the one saying that to you._ She looked at me with her amber eyes.

I nodded my head to her and turned to Gage. _Keep her safe._

Gage barked._** You don't have to tell me twice, son.**_

He finished off his last guy and stood in front of me. He gave me a gentle shove towards the door. _**Be careful, son.**_

I nodded my head. I grabbed my jeans from the floor that miraculously made it threw all of the chaos and ran out the door. I went behind the bushes and phased back to my normal self.

**You did good today, kid.**

_Thanks._

**How's the shoulder?**

Now that he mentioned it, it started throbbing in pain and I grasped it. _Not too good._

**You're lucky that you have a doctor traveling with you.**

_No_ _kidding._

I hopped into the back of the van and closed the double doors behind me.

"Go Dad." I said and he peeled out onto the the road, cutting off the now pissed off driver behind us. I maneuvered around the suitcases and hopped over the seat to where Chloe was rested. She held her arms out. I carefully placed myself around her and returned her hug.

"God Derek." She sighed. "I was so worried about you."

"I know." I said kissing her forehead and wiping hair from her face. "I was worried about you, too."

I looked at her shirt that was stained with blood. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine. It hurts like hell, but Aunt Lauren said the medicine should start taking affect soon."

I nodded, relieved that my mate was okay for the time being. Lauren was looking over Gabriel. He had his shirt off and Tori was shining a flashlight onto his wound. Lauren took out a pair of pliers and sterilized them. "The bullet wound isn't deep. I'm going to pull the bullet out now and it's going to hurt a little."

Gabriel nodded his head and squeezed his hands together. She dug in with her pliers and started pulling. Gabriel grunted in pain and Debra was patting his shoulder and muttering soothing words.

A few seconds later, Lauren produced a bullet that had shot him. She then stitched up his wound and placed a sterile bandage on it.

"There," she said. "You should be okay. You're lucky that bullet hadn't went any deeper. It could have paralyzed you."

Debra let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you so much." She turned to Dad. "I know it's dangerous but could you stop at our house so we can grab our emergency suitcases. I don't want Sophia to be soaked in . . ." She gulped and she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Of course." Dad said gently.

While Dad drove to their house, Lauren came into the back and took the bullet out of my shoulder. While she worked on my shoulder, she said gently. "Thank you, Derek."

I gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean for protecting everyone. I think I speak for everybody here that you were very brave today. So I thank you for that."

"That reminds me Derek." Debra said. "I never thanked you for keeping Sophia safe." She ran her fingers through her daughters hair. "What do you say, sweetheart?"

"Thank you, Der-Bear." She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

I gave her a small smile. "You're welcome, squirt."

Dad stopped the car and ran into the house for their suitcases.

"They're in the closet by the front door!" Debra called.

While he was in, everybody got re-situated. It was a twelve passenger van. Dad was in the drivers' seat and Lauren had moved up the passenger seat. Debra was seated behind them and Sophia had her head in her mother's lap and was sleeping. Gabriel was told to lay on his back so he was laying across the seat with Tori wrapped in his arms. Simon was slouched over asleep with an arm around Kenzie who was also asleep. I was sitting behind them with Chloe's head in my lap. Everybody's luggage was in the back.

"Derek?" Chloe asked. "What are we going to do now?"

I rubbed her leg. "We start over."

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**And that's the first chapter of Love Holds No Bounds! I hope everybody has enjoyed this chapter! I have the first few chapters planned written out so I'll be able to update faster than the last story. Though sadly summer is almost over and I start school again soon.**

**Also I never asked you guys this but is the length too long for you guys? I received a couple of PMs asking to shorten the length of the chapter. I've only received a few so I'm going to keep the length, but if it's too long than please leave it in the review or PM me, whichever. Any feedback is welcomed.**

**So I leave you until next chapter! And if it's not to much trouble could you guys please leave a review? I know I lost a couple of viewers but I still have you guys and that's more than enough! I hope to see some familiar usernames. So see you later!**


	2. Now what?

**Okay guys, I'm disappointed that the first chapter only got two frickin' reviews. Normally I wouldn't freak out so much because I've been procrastinating. And I admit to that. But when 137 people read the chapter and only two people have the decency to write a review, well it kinda pisses me off. And I know I'm probably being a bitch right now, but c'mon guys. I'm not asking for much, just a sentence to tell me what you thought of the chapter. I know my stories aren't the best and I want to get better, but you guys have to leave a review in order for me to do that. So I'm still going to update, but if each chapter doesn't get in between 8-12 reviews than I'm just not gonna update. Surely 8 people out of 137 can leave a review? **

**And now I've finished my rant quota for the month, I leave you guys with Chapter 2.**

****There is more cursing then I usually write in this chapter, so you have been forewarned.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Darkest Powers Trilogy.**

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**Chloe's POV**

I woke up groggily, not completely aware of my surroundings. I stretched my body out, only to grasp my abdomen in pain. What happened last night came rushing back to me and I sat up carefully and looked around. The only other one who was awake besides me was Kit, who was driving.

His eyes met mine through the rear-view mirror. "Chloe? Are you okay?"

I meekly nodded my head. "I'm fine. I just forgot about my injury. I think the medication is wearing off."

"Do you want me to wake up Lauren?" He moved his hand to wake her up.

"No no no!" I whispered. "She's probably exhausted. I'll just tough it out."

"You sure?"

I nodded my head and carefully shifted my body so I didn't wake Derek up. Though that was wishful thinking because the next minute his emerald eyes met mine. "Hey," he said gruffly. "How are you hanging on?"

"I'm doing fine." I whispered. I then asked the question that must have been on everybody's mind. "What are we going to do now?"

"Right now," Kit said, answering for Derek. "We are going to check into a motel for the night. I'm exhausted and I'm sure everyone would like to sleep in a room rather than a van. The St. Clouds shouldn't be able to regroup this fast, but I'll cast a spell around the perimeter that will alert me when a Supernatural steps in other than us."

"What time is it? And where are we?"

"We're just on the outskirts of Minneapolis. We left Oswego around ten last night, so it's just about four in the morning."

"How many rooms are we getting?" Derek asked.

"One." Kit replied.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Ten people to one room, Dad?"

"We'll ask for their biggest room. It'll be a little cramped but it's only for tonight."

_A little? _I thought to myself.

_No kidding._ said someone.

I quickly shot my head in Derek's direction. I could have sworn that I hadn't said that aloud. Derek was leaning back into the seat with his head on the headrest. It appeared that he didn't say anything, so I assumed that I was going crazy and leaned back into the seat, while keeping a watchful eye on Derek.

_You're not going crazy._

It was then I started panicking. It was Derek's voice but his lips weren't moving at all. I checked my surroundings so see if a ghost was messing with my head but the area was clear. I looked back at Derek and I swore he had a small smirk on his face but it was too dark to tell.

_Derek?_ I thought.

_Yes?_

My eyes widened. _How?_

Derek's small smirk became a full-blown smile, his white teeth a stark contrast to the darkness of the van. _Cool, huh? __Gage said when two people officially mate they'll get this telepathic link so we can talk to each other with no one hearing._

_So when we?_

He nodded his head.

_So we were able to communicate with our minds for a whole month and you're just now sharing this with me?_

_I actually just thought about this now because I was busy thinking about other things this past month._

_Thinking about what?_

Derek didn't reply, instead he unbuckled mine and his seat belts. I looked out the window to see a motel. The parking lot wasn't very full with only two cars that had seen better days. After much protesting on my part, I finally conceded to let Derek carry me out of the van and into the night.

Tori made a disgusted face as she carefully helped Gabriel out of the van. "This is where we're staying?"

"We're trying to stay hidden, Tori. Don't worry it's only temporary." Kit said.

She pouted but otherwise didn't comment, that is until Simon just had to get the last word in. "What's the matter, Tori? Are you too much of a priss to spend the night in a motel?"

"Simon, don't." Kenzie pleaded, grasping his arm.

Though he just shook her off. "I mean it doesn't really surprise me."

Tori gritted her teeth and Gabriel weakly said, "Tori, don't let him bait you."

Like Simon, she didn't listen. "I don't think I asked for your opinion, asshole."

Simon glared. "You bit-"

"Enough!" Kit yelled. "Can you two quit you're bitching for five minutes?! Honestly, I sometimes think you guys really are five year olds! I understand that you can't face the concept that you two are brother and sister, but you're gonna have to accept that. And in case you didn't notice this, but we are currently running for our lives. So I would appreciate it if you two could stop fighting for five minutes!" At the end of his rant, he was panting for breath.

I stared, wide-eyed at him. I have never heard Kit raise his voice ever, or swear for that matter. I cast a look to Simon and Tori, they were looking down on the ground as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world rather then meeting their father's gaze.

Kit took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked at the siblings. "I'm sorry. I was out of line. I'm just a little stressed and I'm very tired." It was silent for a few moments before he cleared his throat. "Let's check in."

Nobody said anything as we walked silently into the motel and up to the receptionist's desk. Behind the desk was an elderly woman who had a grandmotherly face. She smiled at our approach. "Hello, my name is Helen. How may I help you?"

Kit cleared his throat again. "Um yes, we would like to rent a room for the day. I know this may seem like a strange request but could you possibly give us the biggest single room you have?"

The elderly woman was a little perplexed by our request but otherwise looked on her computer. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't have a room big enough for all of you. But what I can give you is two rooms right next to each other with a conjoining door between them. Would that suit you needs?"

"Yes, thank you."

She nodded and hands us keys for room three and four. "Your rooms are located on the other side of the motel."

We were about to leave when the woman asked, "Um, I know this is none of my business but are those two alright?" She pointed to Gabriel and I. I was being carried by Derek and Gabriel was trying to remain straight but he was hunched over in pain and was leaning on Tori.

"Uh yeah." Simon said. "Chloe was as usual a klutz and she tripped and she ended up spraining her ankle really bad that she can't walk on it. Then Gabriel ate some questionable food earlier and he's been having stomach problems."

"Oh you poor dear! Would you like some medicine. I have some in the back."

Aunt Lauren stepped in. "That won't be necessary, but thank you. He just needs to lay down." She enunciated this to Kit.

"Oh," the woman said. "Well if you folks need anything, don't be afraid to ask. I'll be here until noon."

Kit nodded his head in thanks and we left the reception area and went to the van. Kit handed Simon the room keys. "Simon, why don't you take the girls and Gabriel to the rooms, we'll grab the bags."

Simon wouldn't look him in the eye. "Yes, sir."

A flash of guilt flickered across his face before he turned to the van and started to unload the suitcases. Derek passed me to Simon and warned him to be careful, and he assured him many times that he wouldn't drop me on the concrete. Kenzie and Tori were both supporting Gabriel, trying to keep him as straight as possible. Sophia was walking in the middle of us. She had dry tears on her face and she was clutching a locket that I assumed her father gave her. My heart reached out to her as I remembered Logan being shot, and then him dropping to the floor, dead.

I mentally shook my head to get rid of the images that plagued my mind. We reached room three and Simon gently placed me on the ground, then fished the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. When the door opened, the faint smell of lavender wafted out through the door.

_Well,_ I though,_ at least we know they clean the place._

The door clicked open for room five and out stepped these two big, and I mean BIG, hairy meat tanks. One of them noticed us and said to his partner. "Fresh meat."

"Oh shit." Simon whispered as they began to make their way towards us.

"Get in the room." Gabriel said weakly, trying to get Tori, Kenzie, and Sophia in the room. Though with our luck, it didn't go as planned for the bigger one of the two reached out and pulled Kenzie tight to his chest.

"Get your hands off her!" Simon yelled, darting forward only to stop in his tracks when the guy pulled out a pocket knife and lifted it to her neck.

"Now now," he said in a gravely voice. "Let's not be hasty. We just wanted to get to know her. And let's not forget that little cutie blonde over there and the brunette that looks like she has a mouth on her."

"You bastard," Gabriel rasped. "If you so much as hurt a hair on either of their heads, I swear to God I will kill you."

The duo looked at each other and then they started cackling. The smaller one of the two finally managed to speak. "Don't make us laugh, boy! Now I'll admit you put up a good front, but you ain't a threat. With a face as pale as yours, I wouldn't be surprised if you keel over any minute."

"You know what, bro?" the other one said. "Maybe we were too hostile in our approach, maybe we should introduce ourselves before we start anything. My name is Murphy." He pointed to his brother. "And then this is my brother Buck."

"Buck?" Tori said, making no attempt to hide the disgust in her voice nor her face.

"Yep." Buck said. "Rhymes with fuck. Which is what I'm going to do to you."

"You bastard." Gabriel repeated. Then, faster than I thought he could move, he got in a lucky punch to Buck's face. Though that victory was short-lived because he had Gabriel pinned on his back in two seconds flat.

"Gabriel!" Tori cried.

"Tori, get out of here. Don't worry about me." Gabriel groaned.

Murphy passed Kenzie to Buck and made a move towards Tori. Buck ran his hands up Kenzie's body and groped her breasts. "Hey sweetheart," he sniffed her. "You smell nice, sweetheart. I wonder if you taste as good as you smell." He then proceeded to run his bacteria infested tongue up her neck. Kenzie made a sound of protest and tried to loosen his hold on her, though that only made him grab a fistful of her hair and yank.

I heard a muffled cry, so I turned to see that Murphy had a hold of Tori. Simon looked torn on who to help: his girlfriend or his sister. With a pained look, he moved to help the latter, considering she was closest. I decided not to be useless, so I slowly moved up from the ground and moved to help Kenzie fend of her rapist. But, of course, Murphy grabbed me from behind and pulled me to his chest. I frantically looked for Simon, only to realize that he was pinned to the ground, with Murphy's boot digging into his back.

"Der-!" I tried screaming, but a hand was put over my mouth that prevented me from doing so.

He put his mouth to my ear. "We don't need to attract the attention of everyone in the motel, now do we? Now if you be a good girl and don't cause a scene, it won't hurt as much. Hell, you might even enjoy yourself. Now be a good girl and walk quietly to our room and we'll have some fun."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Simon warned, craning his neck at an awkward angle to glare at Murphy. I though I heard the sound of little feet running away, but I couldn't move my head so I couldn't see if it was Sophia or not.

"Yeah, boy? And why not?" He asked, digging his boot even deeper into his back.

Simon grunted from the pain. "Because that blonde-haired girl that you have is my brother's girl. Trust me, I know from personal experience, you do not want to piss my brother off. He's very protective of her."

"I'm sure your brother wouldn't mind sharing her."

"Actually," a new voice said. "I do."

I breathed a sigh of relief through my nose at the sound of his voice and looked at him through my peripheral vision. There stood Derek in all his 6'2" glory, glaring at Buck and Murphy. Murphy in particular. I could see that he was trying his best not explode by how tense and stiff his shoulders were. Sophia stood behind his leg and was peaking her head out and grasping Derek's hand in a death grip.

"Let them go."

* * *

**Derek's POV**

I had just unloaded the last of the luggage when Sophia came rushing up to me and was speaking so fast that I couldn't understand her. I knelt down to her level. "Sophia, I can't understand you. I need you to slow down, take a deep breath, then tell me what's going on."

She took a couple of deep breaths and everybody else crowded around me. "These two big giants came out of the room and then they started saying bad words and dirty things. Then they grabbed Kenzie, Chloe and Tori. They are also stepping on Simon and Gabriel." She grabbed both of my hands and started tugging on them. "Hurry, Der-Bear! Before they hurt them!"

I picked her up and ran to the rooms with the adults trailing behind me. I just rounded the corner when I heard Simon finish saying. "He's very protective of her."

I wanted to phase right then and there and tear the two guys apart, but I had to think rationally because I had Sophia in my arms and I could hurt one of the others. Not to mention we don't need people saying they spotted a giant black wolf, then we'd really be in trouble. I glared at the one that had my mate captive and when he said I wouldn't mind sharing, that's when I made my presence known.

"Actually," I said, setting Sophia down and she hid behind my leg. "I do."

The giants, as Sophia described them, turned and looked at me. The one that was holding Chloe and Tori and that had Simon pinned spoke up. "And who might you be?"

"Her boyfriend." I pointed to Chloe.

They looked at Chloe and then back at me. "And how does someone like you get someone like her?"

"I ask myself that everyday." I answered truthfully. "But that besides the point. Look, I'm just going to cut to the chase. I want my girlfriend and everyone else back. We're all tired and I'm really not in the mood for any more bullshit tonight."

"Okay," he nodded. "Tell you what, you go rest and I promise we'll be quick with them."

I breathed deeply through my nose so I didn't lose my temper. These guys were so stupid and they had a face to match it. "That's not what I meant. Tell you what, how about you let them go and I won't rip your throats out."

"Listen you little son of a bitch," he snarled. "I don't think you're in any position to talk. You look a little roughed up. Though you probably brought it on yourself with your tough guy act. Now just shut the hell up and leave and we'll drop the girls off later."

I started to twitch and my skin started to get an unbearable itch. Sophia started slowly walking back into the safety of the adults that stood a few feet back from me. I heard Dad step forward and he put a calming hand on my shoulder. "Easy, son. We can't afford to make a scene here."

Dad cleared his throat and took over. "Listen, guys, we don't want any trouble. Now if you don't hand those girls over right now, I'm going to have to call the police."

That just caused them to go into a fit of laughter. When they were laughing, Chloe contacted me through the link.

_Derek!_

I met her eyes. _Hang on, Chloe. I'll get you out of there._

_I know you will, but listen. Liz is here, she's about 30 yards behind us. Keep them distracted so she can help._

I nodded my head to show that I understood. In the meantime, they managed to get their laughter under control. Behind them, an invisible being who I assumed was Liz, had picked up an old rusty pipe and started walking (floating?) slowly behind them. She was right behind them when I heard Sophia say, "Mommy, who is that lady with the pipe?"

The behemoth turned to look back, but it was too late. Liz swung the pipe and it connected with his face as he turned his head. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose and he released Chloe and Tori. He brought his hands up to cover his face and pain. He must have forgot about Simon because his he tripped over him and fell to the cement, where Liz clocked him in the back of the head for good measure.

"Murphy!" The other one yelled and glared at us. "What the hell did you do to my brother? What is this magic trick?"

I shrugged. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" Because just then, Liz hit him on the side of the head and he went down. Though he ended up taking Kenzie with him and they toppled onto Gabriel, who gasped for air at the unexpected weight.

Chloe ran and jumped into my arms and I crushed her to my chest. I set her down after a few seconds and my hands on both sides of her head. "Are you okay?"

She nodded my head. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me."

"I would've killed him if he did." I said seriously. "I promise, you'll never be in that kind of situation again."

She kissed the inside of my hand. "I know you will. I love you."

"I love you, too." I whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Yeah, it's great that we all love each other, but D?" Simon said and I looked over at him. He pointed to the one that he, Tori, and Kenzie were trying to push off of Gabriel. "We could seriously use some strength over here."

I looked back at Chloe to make sure she was okay and she nodded. "Go. I'll go see Aunt Lauren."

I nodded and walked over to Simon. I grabbed the guy by the back of his jacket and pulled. He came off easy and Gabriel sucked in some much needed air. "I don't know what you guys are talking about. This guy isn't heavy." I then made a show of lifting him up with one hand.

"Well, you know Derek?" Simon said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't know if you know this or not, but we all don't have frickin' werewolf strength."

I ignored him and looked down at Gabriel. He was breathing in and out slowly and every time he inhaled, he would wince in pain. I turned to Lauren who was fussing over Chloe. "Lauren? I'd hate you break up your reunion, but I think some of Gabriel's ribs are broken."

Debra and Lauren rushed forward and knelt on the ground next to Gabriel. Lauren lightly prodded his chest and she confirmed my suspicions. She looked at Dad and I. "I need you two to _very carefully_ carry Gabriel into the room and place him on the bed. Tori I need you to grab my first aid kit."

I placed one hand under his shoulders and the other one under his back. Dad placed his arms under his legs and we lifted. We placed him on the bed and Lauren set to work. I pulled Dad to the side while Lauren worked.

"What do we do with them?" I asked about the two thugs.

Dad sighed. "As much as I would like to see them arrested, we can't bring the police into this. One whiff of this and the St. Clouds will be all over us. I placed a spell on them so when they wake up, they'll think they got drunk last night and crashed on the sidewalk."

I nodded my head, relieved that was taken care of. "I'm going walk around the area to make sure we're secure."

"It's not really needed because of the barrier but if it makes you feel better, then go ahead. The boys will be in room three and the girls in room four."

I nodded and went to say goodbye to Chloe before I left. She stood up at my approach. "Where are you going?"

I wrapped my arms around her small frame. "Just a quick check to make sure we're secure. I won't be gone long."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I shook my head. "You shouldn't be moving in your condition. Make sure Lauren checks you over before you go to bed."

She pouted. "I'm tired of everyone thinking I need to be taken care of all the time. I'm not the same defenseless little girl I used to be."

I brushed my thumb over her cheek. "I never said you were. I just want you to be safe."

She gave one last ditch attempt. "You were shot too."

I smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "I heal fast, remember?"

She rolled her eyes and gave me another kiss. "Be safe."

"Always am."

* * *

I was in the back of the motel when I smelled him. I let out a growl knowing he could hear me. I heard footsteps come to halt behind me. I slowly turned around to face him and was taken aback by how he looked. He looked like he had no will to live, like he was . . . lost.

His eyes had a haunted look to them, and there was a small part of me that wanted to ask what was wrong. Then I had to remind myself that he wasn't my friend anymore. Even if he wanted nothing to do with the plan, he was still at fault.

I growled at him again and he held his hands up in surrender, though he didn't put much effort into it. "Ease up, Derek. I'm here to help."

"What do you want, Tyler?"

* * *

**And that's the end of chapter two! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though I thought it was a little slow. ****Anyways, Tyler will play a major role in the next chapter and we'll learn why he took Chloe, even though he didn't want to. ****Make sure to leave a review to tell me what you think and they also make Tyler feel better. :) **

**Until next time!**

**P.S. I'm sorry if I offended anybody with my rant.**


	3. Tyler's Story

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I was a little harsh in the last chapter and so I apologize for that and I hope you guys can forgive me! Anyways, as you all know Tyler has made an appearance in the last chapter and in this chapter he'll tell us why he did what he did and also offers them a very generous gift from Jackie and Gage. So I won't prattle on any longer and I'll let you guys read.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Darkest Powers Trilogy.**

* * *

**Derek's POV**

I slammed him roughly into the brick wall of the motel. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

His face remained emotionless, as if he didn't care. "I was told you knew everything."

"Jackie told me you didn't want to do it." I pushed him into the wall again. "Jackie said you had the option of refusing if you didn't want to carry out the plan, but you still did it anyway."

"Then you weren't told the whole story."

I scrunched my eyebrows up. "What are you talking about? Jackie told me everything, are you implying that she lied to me?"

His lifeless eyes met mine. "I'm not saying that. I'm just saying there's more to the story then meets the eye."

"And what would that be?"

He grabbed my hands and pried them off of him. "I'll tell you later. Right now I came to help and I have a message from Jackie and Gage."

"You? Came to help? Your track record isn't exactly the greatest."

He remained indifferent. "If that's what you want to think, then go ahead. But I've brought someone that can heal them to an extent. And like I said before I have a message for you from Jackie and Gage."

"Who did you bring?"

"Her name is Leila." He said walking in the direction of the room. "She's a shaman, and an extremely powerful one at that. Though she can be kind of a smartass and sarcastic at times."

I scowled at him. "Kenzie is a shaman, so we don't need the help of yours."

He rolled his eyes. "I've looked at that girl Kenzie's file. While she is a shaman, she has no potential in healing any kind of wound. Well, not yet at least."

I glared at him. "I said we don't need your help. We have a doctor on board and that's more than enough."

I finally saw a spark of emotion is his eyes. Anger. I'd take that emotion anytime than the lifeless dead look in his eyes that he seems to be sporting these days. "Look, Derek. I know you're not exactly keen on the idea of me being here. Believe me, I would rather be somewhere else doing something useful than to be here where my help is clearly not wanted. But like it or not I'm here to help the injured. While you'll heal on your own, Gabriel and Chloe aren't so lucky. So if you'll excuse me." And with that he left. The anger slowly faded from his eyes and was replaced with the haunted look from before.

He walked around the corner when I started walking after him. He then walked up to a women. She was something to look at, not in a 'she's-beautiful' way but in a 'why-the-hell-would-you-want-to-look-like-that' kind of way. She couldn't have been any older than 19, and her image just screamed teenage rebellion. Her hair was in a disarray of different colors. It looked like her hair was blonde with deep purple, blood red, and electric blue highlights, which was a stark contrast to her pale skin.

Her clothes were more tight than revealing. Her skinny jeans looked so tight that she had to jump off the top of a bunk bed just to get into them and she had on a red shirt with the anarchy symbol in black. All in all, I labeled her as an attention-seeker.

She slid her phone into her back pocket as we approached her. "What the hell were you doing? I've been here forever."

"I think you're over exaggerating there a little bit, Leila. It's been like ten minutes."

She waved her hands."Details, details. That's not important. So..." She clapped and rubbed her hands together. "Where are my patients?"

Tyler looked at me to lead the way but I cast an uneasy look towards Leila. "Are you sure she won't do more harm than good?"

She glared at me. "Well aren't you blunt?"

"Sorry if I offended you." I said, not really sorry at all. "But it's just the way you look that has me concerned."

She clicked her tongue. "Hasn't anybody ever told you not to judge someone based on their appearance?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "What can I say? I don't trust people right away when I first meet them and when I know nothing about them." I clapped Tyler on the shoulder. "Just ask Tyler. He knows why I don't trust him."

She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips and she got right up into my face. Even though I was taller than her, the way she was looking at me made me feel that she was towering over _me._ "Listen, wolfie. I know what he did wasn't right, but believe me when I say he tried his damnedest to get out of it. You don't even know half the shit he went through this past month. So before you go around thinking that you know fucking everything, you might wanna learn the whole story first. So ease up on my brother." And just like a light switch, she was back to her normal self.

I raised an eyebrow. "He's your brother?"

"You don't have to be biologically related in order to call someone your brother." She backed away from me and stood next to Tyler. "You should know plenty about that."

I scowled at her. "How do you two know each other?"

She wrapped her arm around Tyler. "Tyler and I have know each other since we were in diapers. Haven't we, Ty?"

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. His lack of emotion tonight was starting to bug me. And as he and Leila have claimed, I don't know the whole story so I would have to ask Tyler later, even though I didn't want to.

"I'm only a year older than him so I think of him as my little brother. Anyways, I believe I have some people to heal?" She said, looking at me expectantly. I scowled when I realized that I didn't have a choice and I led them into the room.

Before I opened the door, I turned to Leila one last time. "Look, I'm sorry if I came off as judgmental, but that's the kind of guy I am. I'm over-cautious whenever I meet somebody new. Especially when they look..." I waved my hand, trying to think of a word that wouldn't make me come off as a jackass.

"Unique?" She offered.

"I was gonna say different." I shrugged my shoulders. "But hey, whatever floats your boat. I'm just going to warn you that everybody else will most likely act like I did just now. Well, maybe except Chloe."

"It's probably just you. I mean you just said you had trust issues."

"Whatever you say." I said when I heard Gabriel yell in pain from outside and Leila pushed me to the side and went in by herself. She walked towards Gabriel, but was intercepted by Tori and Debra when she was within a five-foot radius. Debra looked frightened as she took in Leila's appearance and Tori's expression was unreadable.

Debra cleared her throat. "Um, who are you?"

Leila tried to smile, but it came out more as a smirk. "My name is Leila. Jackie and Gage sent me here to tend to your wounded."

"You're a shaman?" Kenzie spoke up. She was leaning over Gabriel, who was laying on his stomach. Her hands were placed over his bullet entry wound and there was a faint turquoise glow coming from her hands. Leila walked over and stood next to Kenzie and inspected Gabriel's wound.

"How much have you healed?" Leila asked Kenzie.

Kenzie blew out a frustrated breath. "I've been trying to heal it for the past half hour, but nothing has changed." Leila nodded, but she didn't say anything. Kenzie cast an unsure glance at her hands, "Am I doing something wrong?"

Leila cast her a look. "Did you know when a person is physically injured, it actually appears on their soul first and then on their physical body. Take Gabriel here for instance. When he was shot, it appeared on his soul first and then his body. So in order to heal someone, you have to heal their soul and then their body will gradually heal also. You were trying to heal his physical wound and not the injury to his soul, that's why it wasn't working." Kenzie nodded her head as if she understood, but the look on her face said otherwise. "I know, it's confusing. But you'll get better with practice. Why don't I heal the wounded and then I'll teach you how to do it?"

Kenzie frantically nodded her head, excited that she had a teacher. She removed her hands and switched places with Leila. Just as she was about to start healing him, Debra asked me a question. "Not to be rude, but um, are you sure she won't do more harm than good?" She shot a frantic look towards Leila. "While I'm sure you're a lovely girl, it's just you're not how I imagined a shaman would look like."

Leila didn't respond, but she did cast me a look of annoyance. I shrugged my shoulders and gave her an I-told-you-so look. She rolled her eyes at me before turning her attention to Gabriel. She placed her hands over his wound like Kenzie did, but she had a faint lavender glow to her hands unlike the turquoise glow that Kenzie had. I wonder why they had different colors. Tori voiced my thoughts. "How come your hands glow lavender, but Kenzie's was turquoise?"

"An excellent question. The glow that comes from my hands is called an aura and each color of aura has a different meaning. Take her for example." She nodded to Kenzie. "Her aura was a turquoise color, which implies that she is feeling compassionate and sensitive. Turquoise can also mean healer or healing, which she was trying to do with your friend, Gabriel. And as you said mine was lavender which implies that I am a imaginative person, a visionary, and a daydreamer."

"Does the aura color change depending on what the person is feeling?" Simon asked.

"Yes and no." Leila said. She had finished healing his bullet wound and was now working on his broken ribs. "Everybody has an aura and everybody has a specific aura color that is always with them. Like lavender is always in my aura. A mix of other colors will always mix in with a persons aura. Again take Kenzie's for example. She will always have a turquoise aura, but right now her aura has a little bit of white in it."

"What does white mean?"

"White means spiritual, purity, and truth. Basically angelic qualities."

Simon looked at Kenzie and winked. "And you don't believe me when I say you're an angel."

A blush rose to her cheeks and she gave him a small smile. Though Leila was smirking at him. "White can also indicate a women being pregnant, or about to become pregnant."

We all looked back and forth between Simon and Kenzie. Kit spoke up. "Simon. Is there something you want to tell us?"

Simon waved his arms back and forth. "No, no, no! We didn't do any of . . ._that._"_  
_

Leila finished healing Gabriel and Tori helped him sit up. "Naw. She's not pregnant. There would have to be a large amount of white. She only has a little." She looked around the room. "Though I gotta say, there is one color that all of you have in your aura."

"What's that?" Gabriel asked. He definitely looked a lot better when before we first came here. He was still a little pale, but he had a little color in his cheeks.

"A dark gray." She said flatly. "Which indicates fear. Fear of what is to come." Everybody looked around uncomfortably. Nobody needed to say anything to know we were all thinking the same thing. What was going to happen to us? What were we going to do with all these people to take care of? My thoughts were cut off as Leila became cheery again. "But let's not tread on dreary topics. I believe I have one last patient."

While Leila was healing Chloe, Dad pulled me to the side to talk. "Are you sure we can trust Tyler again?"

I looked back at Tyler and he turned his head at the mention of his name. He started to make his way over to us and I turned back to Dad. "I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't trust him."

Dad raised his eyebrows. "You trust him again? I was under the impression that you weren't talking to him. Have you made up?"

"Not exactly. It's just . . ." I shook my head, trying to describe it in a way that he would understand. "There's something about him that's bugging me. It's like he doesn't have the will to live anymore, you know? And I know it's not because I'm not talking to him, it's something more personal than that. Something that he didn't even tell Jackie and Gage."

"Is he going to tell you about it?"

"Yes, I am." Tyler interrupted as he reached us. "But in a little bit. Jackie and Gage wanted me to ask you where you planned on going."

Dad breathed out through his nose. "I have no idea. I didn't even know where I was going. I just wanted to put some distance between us and the St. Cloud's."

Tyler nodded his head, taking it in. He then fished his hand into his pocket and through something in the air. Dad caught it in midair and it was a set of keys. Dad looked at him questionably. "What are these?"

"Jackie and Gage own a house up in Auburn, Washington. They said if you didn't have anywhere to go, I was supposed to give you the keys." He gave Dad a folded up map. "This map shows you where you will stop to restock your supplies. All the owners of these stops are friends of ours."

Dad had a surprised look on his face. "This is very generous of them. But I don't want to inconvenience them." He tried giving the keys back.

Tyler waved his hand. "Keep them. They only used the house once." His phone buzzed. He pulled it out to read the text he got. After a few seconds he put the phone back in his pocket. "That was Gage. They said they finished hiding the bodies and that Jackie is driving the other Supernaturals to the house. She'll meet you there."

Dad sighed. "I guess we have no choice. Make sure to tell them we greatly appreciate the offer."

Tyler nodded his head. Dad turned to leave, but not before Tyler said. "Oh, by the way, they already paid all the bills for a year. So you won't have to worry about that for a little bit."

Dad whipped his head around and said, "No! They don't have to do that. They've already helped us out enough with giving us a house and by bringing Leila. We can pay the bills."

"It's already been done." Dad glared at him and Tyler put his hands up. "Don't give me that look. I'm just the messenger. You want to take it up with somebody, take it up with Gage or Jackie."

Dad was at a loss for words. With a frustrated growl, he turned on his heel and went to help with sleeping arrangements.

Tyler turned to me and asked. "Do you want me to tell you the story now or later?"

"Now."

He nodded his head. "That's what I thought. You may as well bring Chloe. She deserves to hear this too."

I nodded and went to retrieve Chloe and then together we went outside with Tyler so the others could get some rest.

"What does he wanna talk about?" Chloe whispered.

Tyler spoke for me. "I wanted to share with you my side of the story."

* * *

**Tyler's POV**

I took a deep breath as we neared a large oak tree with a picnic table underneath it. I sat down at the table with Chloe and Derek sitting across from me. I couldn't help but notice how close Derek sat close to Chloe. I wouldn't blame him.

They looked at me expectantly for me to begin. I took another deep breath before I began my tale of heartache and sorrow.

_**Flashback**_

_Thump thump . . . thump thump . . . thump thump . . . thump thump._

_I listened to her steady heartbeat, just the sound of it was soothing. We were in what everybody called our "love nest". It was a willow tree that was sat on top of a small hill with a river running next to it. I currently had my back against the tree with the love of my life resting against my chest. She wasn't paying any attention to me, not that I cared. I was content to just be around her. She was currently infatuated with her book for the week: Mariana by Susanna Kearsley. _

_I wrapped my arms around her stomach and rested my head on her shoulder. I looked down at her book and gave a chuckle. I couldn't see her face but I knew she was smiling. "What's so funny, Ty?"_

_"When we first came here you were on page 3, and now you're on page 175." _

_She marked her page with a dog ear even though there was a bookmark lying right next to her. She placed her book on the grass and she positioned her body so she was sitting in my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and asked. "You're point being?"_

_"My point being is that we've been here for about an hour and a half and you're read 172 pages since then."_

_Her eyes danced with amusement. "Still not seeing your point here."_

_I smiled at her and nuzzled her neck, "Somebody's being a smartass."_

_One of her hands grasped some of my hair and she said, "I learnt from the best."_

_I smiled again and kissed her, and just like every time I did, my heart seemed to go into cardiac arrest as the kiss increased in passion. I let my hands wander from her waist to her neck, though they made a slight detour to her breasts. I pulled her closer so that she was straddling me. She pulled back to take in a breath and then she chuckled._

_"What?" I asked breathlessly. _

_She shook her head. "It's nothing, really. I was just listening to your heartbeat and I decided that it would jump out of your chest if I didn't stop. Kind of like those old cheesy cartoons where a man would see a women he found attractive and his heart would jump of his chest. You know what I mean?"_

_"Kira," I said, brushing hair from her face. "It's like that all the time when I'm around you. Though I do have to admit, my heart does beat faster than it usually does when we get into these kind of situations." I gestured to the way we were sitting. "Though I doubt my heart would really jump out of my chest."_

_"Oh?" She said, her voice going down an octave. "Care to test that theory?"_

_I gave her my answer through a kiss as my hands found their way to her chest again, only this time slipping under the thin fabric she called a shirt. Though to me it was more of a nuisance. I ran my tongue along her bottom lip, pleading for entrance. And being the generous girl she is, she granted entrance and our tongues wrestled for dominance, in which of course she won._

_She slowly unbuttoned the top three buttons of my shirt. She broke away from our heated kiss only to place butterfly kisses down my neck and down my chest, unbuttoning the rest of my shirt as she made her way further down. I moaned as she stopped just above my belt buckle and she looked up at me with her gray irises. There was a whole assortment of emotions in her eyes but the one that I only focused on: lust._

_Though, of course, we had to be interrupted by douche bag one and two, otherwise known as Dalton and Brandon. Kira sighed as she heard their approach and made herself presentable. As for me, I didn't care, I was pissed that they chose this moment to interrupt._

_"What do you want?" I snarled._

_"Sorry, Ty." Dalton said, though the tone of his voice implied that he wasn't sorry at all. "Not to be a cockblocker, but Parker wants to see you right away."_

_I sighed again and buttoned up my shirt. I stood up and offered my hand to Kira and helped her stand. I turned back to Dalton. "What does Parker want?"_

_Dalton shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. I didn't ask. All I know is that it looked important. So if I were you, I wouldn't keep the big man waiting."_

_I looked over at Kira. "You okay walking back by yourself?"_

_She nodded at the same time Dalton spoke. "She doesn't have to walk by herself. Brandon here will walk with her back."_

_Kira glared at him. "I don't need anyone to walk me back. I am a werewolf like you. I don't need a babysitter." She turned to me and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Come find me when you're done talking to Parker."_

_Dalton shook his head. "Nonsense. What kind of people would we be if we didn't look out for a fellow pack member?"_

_She glared at them one more time before she started walking to the house with Brandon following after her. Something was eating at my gut, it was telling me to follow them, to not leave her alone with Brandon. But with my mind on Parker and what he wanted to talk about, I ignored my gut reaction and followed Dalton. Though this would prove to be the worst mistake of my life._

* * *

_Parker was sitting at the kitchen table with Jackie and Gage on his sides. As soon as we entered, their talking ceased. Parker was the first to break the silence. "Tyler. Thanks for coming on such short notice."_

_"What do you want?" I asked, cutting straight to the point. _

_He raised his eyebrows at the tone of my voice, but otherwise didn't comment. "Right, well I'll get straight to the point then. We've received a tip that their boy may still be alive." He nodded his head to Jackie and Gage._

_I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Really? And who gave you that information?"_

_"A woman by the name of Angel. One of her betas' was killed by a pup and another one was severely injured. When the description of the pup was known, she had a hunch that he might've belonged to us. Right now she and a friend of hers are tracking down Ramon, the one that was injured, so that he can track the pup down. After they track him down, they'll watch over him for a couple of weeks before we'll meet up and she'll tell us what she found out."_

_I nodded my head, processing this. "And where do I come into this?"_

_"Well," Gage said, taking over for Parker. "if he does turn out to be our son, we can't just approach him out of the blue, there's no way he would trust us. What we want you guys to do, is to befriend Derek and then when the right time comes, we'll introduce ourselves and we'll go from there."_

_"And if that doesn't work?"_

_"If that doesn't work," Jackie said. "Then we will have to capture him and bring him back with us."_

_I raised an eyebrow, surely they weren't this stupid. There was no way this was going to work. "You really think that's going to work?"_

_"No," Gage said, "That will be our last resort, and we'll only use it if we absolutely have to. But we are really depending on you guys to pull through."_

_Dalton voiced his unwanted opinion. "And what if he turns out to not be your long lost son? You guys get your hopes up for nothing."_

_Jackie and Gage both looked at each other before Gage turned to Dalton. "That's a risk we're willing to take. We've missed out on almost seventeen years of our son's life, so if there's even a slight chance that he may still be alive then we'll follow it through to the end. Besides I'm pretty confident that the pup is our son."_

_Dalton raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"_

_Gage took a photo out of his wallet and slide it across the table to us. I picked up the photo for the both of us to see. Gage continued talking. "The pup has Jackie's exact eye color and his hair color is the same as mine."_

_I slide the photo back to them. "Well, I'm happy for you guys. I could always use another cousin."  
_

_Dalton's phone started ringing and he went into the other room to take the call. While he was away, Jackie smiled at me. "I'm glad you feel that way. I just wish Dalton and Brandon would express the same attitude as you."_

_I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean by that?" _

_"When we first mentioned to them that they may have another cousin, they didn't seem too keen on the idea. Lord knows why, though."_

_I shrugged my shoulders. "They're not one for change." When I finished talking, Dalton came back into the room with a smug look on his face. Like he knew a secret that we didn't. Suddenly that gut reaction came back._

_"Well," Parker said, standing up. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You up for it?"_

_I smiled at him. "Of course!"_

_Parker smiled. "That's what I like to hear." And with that he, Gage, and Jackie left._

_I stood up and was about to walk out to go find Kira, when Dalton stood in front of me and blocked the exit. His whole demeanor changed from when Parker was present._

_"What's your problem?" I snarled._

_He tsked. "So hostile. Can't I just talk to you?"_

_"No. I'm going to go find Kira." I shoved him out of the way and walked down the pathway. He called out to me. "This actually concerns Kira!"_

_I came to an abrupt stop and turned on my heel. The way he smiled at me did nothing to ease my stomach. "Yeah," he said softly. "I knew that would get your attention."_

_I growled. "What are you talking about?"_

_He turned back into the house and called out, "Follow me."_

_As I followed him, I felt the wolf inside me wake up. **I don't like**_ **_this._ **

I don't either, Roul.

_He led us down the stairs and into the basement. He stopped in the middle of the room and crossed his arms. Off to the side was a table with a laptop on it. I stopped two feet in front of him and mimicked his pose. Neither of us spoke as I sized him up. I growled at him impatiently and asked him, "What does this have to do with Kira?"_

_"Well, it's actually what's going to happen to her, if that pup joins our Pack."_

_I grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the cement wall. He started gasping for air and he tried prying my hands off his neck. Emphasis on tried. "What. Did. You. Do. To. Kira." I said, enunciating each word._

_"I would tell you if I could breath!" He choked out._

_I relieved a little bit of the pressure on his neck and he sucked in a huge amount of air. "Start talking."_

_"Well," he began. "It's actually really simple. We don't want the pup in our Pack. And we want you to stop that."_

_"That still doesn't explain why Kira is involved in this."_

_"Well, cousin she'll be collateral until you fulfill our requirements."_

_"How did you even get her?" I answered my own question. "Brandon."_

_He smiled despite the situation he was in. "That's right. I had to separate the two of you, otherwise it never would've worked. While I took you to see Jackie and Gage, I had Brandon follow her. When we were a safe distance away, Brandon captured her. Though I must admit, she put up quite the fight, but in the end it wasn't enough. That phone call I got? That was Brandon. He said he almost got his ass handed to him, but he captured her and she's somewhere you will never find her."_

_I started shaking. Dalton had managed to slip out of my grasp, but I barely noticed. The same thought kept running through my head. 'They took Kira. They took her and you weren't there to protect her, like you promised.' I fell to my knees and clutched my heart. It felt like my heart was breaking into two. My whole world was gone._

_Dalton snapped his fingers to get my attention. He was standing by the laptop. "Damn, you got it bad. But anyways, don't freak out. It's not like we killed her or anything. Look." He clicked something on the laptop and up popped up a video of Kira. Her arms and legs were tied to the back of the chair she was sitting on. She had a gag in her mouth and a blindfold over her eyes. Brandon came into view and grinned. _

_"Hi, Tyler." He said. "As you can see we have your mate."_

_"You bastards." I growled. My eyes were on Kira as Brandon undid her blindfold. She blinked her eyes a couple of times before focusing on me. When she did, she tried saying something but it was muffled by the gag._

_I growled again and took a swing at Dalton. He anticipated it and dodged it effortlessly. I feinted left and he followed. I quickly brought my fist up and punched him in the nose. He brought his hand up to his nose as blood gushed out. I heard Kira's muffled scream and turned back to the screen to see what happened. I froze as I saw Brandon had one hand fisted into her hair and the other hand held a knife up to Kira's neck._

_Dalton snuck up behind me and put me in a headlock. I struggled against him but stopped when I heard Kira cry out in pain again._

_"Are you done?" Dalton spat. "The more you struggle, the more we hurt Kira."_

_"Where is she?!" I growled._

_He chuckled. "I told you. She's somewhere you'll never find her. You don't have to worry Ty, she'll be returned in a relatively safe manner. All you have to do is make sure the pup doesn't join the Pack."_

_"What does it matter if he joins or not? You do realize that the pup may be Aunt Jackie and Uncle Gage's long lost son?"_

_"I don't care if he is or not. I don't want him in the Pack."_

_"WHY?"_

_"Because if he joins, that means more competition."_

_I struggled against him again. "More competition for what?!"_

_"For Parker's attention! Parker already seems to think that this guy is his grandson! I don't need another pup trying to get in good with the Alpha! All my life I did everything that man asked as long as he treated me like I was worth something. That's all I ever wanted! You see Tyler, you got it lucky. Your dad actually spent time with you. Mine doesn't give a rat's ass about me, he's too focused on my little brother, trying to mold him into some kind of perfect werewolf. He somehow got it in his head that my little brother can become Alpha when Parker steps down. So when he didn't give me the attention I wanted, I turned to Parker. He at least treated me like his own, that is until the pup was brought into the picture. Then it seemed like I never existed. He spent all his time and energy trying to find out all about this guy. That's why I want you to get rid of him."_

_"You mean to tell me that you kidnapped my mate just because you were afraid that Parker wouldn't notice you?! My god, Dalton. That's so pathetic."_

_He shrugged his shoulders. "Call it what you want. We won't give Kira back until the pup is out of the picture." He tightened his hold. "Do we have a deal?"_

_He had basically given me an ultimatum. I could either help Jackie and Gage find their son and their family could finally be complete, but the cost would be me losing my mate forever. On the other hand I could get rid of the pup and Kira would be safe from harm, but then Jackie and Gage will lose the chance to know the son they never knew. It was a lose-lose situation. Nobody will come out on top, except maybe Dalton and Brandon. I gave him my answer, "Yes."_

_Dalton smiled. "Glad we understand each other. I recommend getting rid of him as soon as possible, Ty. You wouldn't want to keep your mate waiting."_

_I looked back at the screen and Kira met my eyes. "I'll find you."_

_'I know you will.' She told me through the link. After that the connection was lost, and that was the last time I saw my mate._

_"Before you go..." Dalton said. I didn't expect to be punched in the gut. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me. Dalton released his hold on my neck and I fell to my knees, grasping my stomach. Dalton was on top of the stairs when he said. "One last thing, Ty. If you ever mention this to Parker, Gage or Jackie... you can consider Kira good as dead." And with that, he walked away._

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

They stared at me in shock, neither of them moving. Chloe's face soon morphed into sympathy and sorrow. Derek's was a little more complicated. His face was an all out war of emotions ranging from sympathy, pity, and suspicion (surprise, surprise). But the one that I focused on: empathy.

Chloe was the first to speak. "They took your mate?"

I nodded. I felt tears prick in my eyes, but I pushed them back.

"So you took Chloe, knowing I would follow your scent. Then what?" Derek asked.

I took a deep breath. "The original plan was for me to take Chloe and then wait for you to follow. Brandon and Dalton wanted me to kill you and Chloe, but I knew I wouldn't have been able to pull that off, considering from when I first saw you I knew you were stronger than me. I was planning on just telling you to stay away from the Pack. If you had complied, I would have given you back Chloe and everything would have been okay."

"Would have." Derek said flatly.

I nodded my head solemnly. "Would have. Dalton and Brandon weren't supposed to be there. I guess they knew I would flake or something, I don't know. You already know that Dalton planned on making Chloe his mate by force."

"But how?" Chloe asked. "If I was already Derek's mate, then how would I become Dalton's mate?"

"It's true that you guys are meant to be together, but you hadn't officially mated."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Let's take you guys for example. You guys already knew you were meant to be mates, but you hadn't officially mated with each other when I took you. Dalton knew that. So he was gonna force you to have sex with him. In doing that you would have become Dalton's mate instead of his." I nodded my head to Derek. "But it was a good thing that you found her when you did."

Derek grabbed Chloe's hand and gave it a tight squeeze before letting go. "So you really did want nothing to do with it." He put his head in his hands. "And I was a complete dick to you." He looked back up to me. "You know exactly what it feels like to have your mate taken from you, and I still treated you like that. I'm so sorry."

I gave him a small smile. "It's only natural that you would do that, Derek. I don't blame you for feeling that way. And I accept your apology."

He gave me a real smile this time. Not one that was filled with scorn, but with genuine happiness. I was glad that I could become friends with Derek, and maybe even Chloe. A perplexed look flashed across his face. "Then why have you looked like you have nothing to live for? Did they find Kira?"

I became sullen again. "No," I said, pained. "No, they didn't find her."

"But," Chloe said. "Dalton is dead, and Gage said they kidnapped Brandon. Shouldn't he have spilled everything by now?"

I nodded. "He did spill everything, he told Parker that he and Dalton were planning on leaving the Pack to join Angel's. He told them their plan about getting rid of Derek and he even told him where they put Kira."

"Then why didn't they find her?!" Chloe asked, confused.

Derek pieced it together. "She wasn't where they left her, was she?" He said quietly.

I nodded. "Somebody else has her."

* * *

**And that is the end of chapter three! I gave you guys an extra long chapter for being so harsh in the last chapter. Anyways we now know the whole story about Tyler. In the next chapter the gang will be in Auburn and they'll figure out their next move. I'm sorry if anybody thinks the chapters are moving at a slow pace, but things will get more intense! I promise!**


	4. Author's Note: Please Read!

**I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I was diagnosed with Mono about a month ago and it lasted for close to three weeks. Worst three weeks of my life! After I got better I was going to post a new chapter but decided against it because I had to make up three weeks of homework and that was my main focus point. I am finally caught up and I will try to post a new chapter within the next week so I apologize for the wait. I hope you all have a great day and a great weekend!**


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